The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1887-02-24
SCRAPS OF INFORMATION
Picked Up Here and There About Sair
Valentines ySay.

Valentines Day.
When tn, pra,t,'e OF sending titetdonr,
and tender messages en- t9 F1u:teenth OF
February org .r.ts.d is one o. shcSe things
H. b.longs r..tAes' ~ the dina l.ght of ira.
d:tion, thin W thin tac r.,,e OF history.
Chauccr and Shakespeare both refer to it,
but give 10 explanation u its origin other
than the suppos IN that the lir,,s were
SAID to have selected their rates on that
d;y."
ST. Valentine was presbyter, ami, &C
cora;ng to "tne legend" de violeat
death = prestvtcr means .Nan elder. a
word borrowed from the Greek translation
of the Ola Testament, whc"e 1t commonly
signifies ,ulo- or governor; and in this
sense Bishops ere sometime, called presuy
.ers in the New Te=taGcnt."
Early vulent hes W ere sent in the form
of gifts such as carriers, gloves AMI jewel
ry. For many years comic valentines have
been regularly s,ut over the country as a
means of buriesQu:rg personal peculiari-
ties, or of perpetrating practical jokes.
As FOR love breathing valentines, they
have been manufactured Of lace paper for
years, some o. them hcing exquisite in
their wy. hit hay ere now quite de trop,
having been succeeded by beautiful chrome
picture cards, which are now al the rage.
senG their Dulc.aas, SITS. such as ribbons
and gloves, Oh St. valentines day. but city
customs have set the node at exquisite
picture cards, nothing else being consider
ed stylish or in good taste.
The crryival, in any form, of Valentines
Day is a good illustration of what phlloso-
piers cell the persistence OF force. Bear
ing aghris oian name, the dag is neverthe-
less, IN u sense, pagan in origin. Long be-
fore the hrst saint g'as boin the center
point c. February was Observed as festi-
val il Gonor of mate choosing. Engl sh
Tennyson sings o. spring as the time when
young mans fancy lightly turns to
thoughts Of love, hut IN SUNNI Italy the
budding season, when al nature seems
moved by c common inspiration of mutual
attraction, antedatcs the spring of the cal
endar.
Wheatly says that "St Valentine was a
man of most admirable parts, and so ia
nous for his loving and charitable DISPOSE
ton that he was canoniZcd and his day Gel
ebrated by the custom G. choosing vaen-
| tines Unfortunately FOR this theory the
custom was prevalent before the tine Of
st. Valentine. However it is pleasant to
think thai one VINO studied the things that
work for ''peace on EARTH" as the good old
Bishop did, and who left a record of him.
self truly .'lovely alC CT good report, :"
should lend the luste, of his name to such
an ancient end universal custom, and for
his sake the Gay should be purified from
every grosser element and made a medium
for the interchange OF the loving and lovely
amenities of life, in the home and in the
more extended social circle.
The question CT choosing loves Of St.
Valentines festival grew directly out OF
the fact of the good saints possessing such
winning love and kindness. None could
look upon him and decide to live alone.
The innate sweetness Of his countenance
streamed like glory upon all those with
whom he came in contact. The Roman
| matrons and their daughters must have
looked with longing eyes upon this living
figure Of love.
There was practice prevalent in Rome
at tho festival of the Lupercalia, when the
names of young women were placed in a
| box from which they were taken by young
men who drew them solely by chance.
| This was considered a pagan ceremony, tn
| early pastors endeavorlng to break it up,
| but falling in tn attempt.